4 Reasons Craft Should Be at the Center of Your Creative Team
“My name is Doug, I’m 40 years old, and I am *deep breath* a commercial cinematographer.” I say aloud.
“Hi, Doug”, the eclectic group of creatives and crew members seated around me in a circle say in unison.
“I’ve spent the last two decades trying my hardest to avoid a word that haunts me” I say, my eyes cast down, “…videographer.” I whisper, the word hangs in the room like the Hindenberg waiting to ignite. The room fills with murmurs from my colleagues.
“We’ve all been there, brother.” a bearded man in cargo shorts says, putting his hand on my shoulder. “My dad says I set up shade for film crews all across the state. I’M A KEY GRIP, DAD. THOSE ARE MODIFIERS!”
What’s in a name? Why do I care so much about my title, Cinematographer or Director of Photography (DP) over other very industry standard terms like Videographer or Camera Operator? I’ve spent years trying to figure out why I cringe when a client on set refers to me as “the videographer”. And that’s part of it… the years I’ve spent on sets learning the actual craft of this work.